Austerity.
Pretty common word, this last year. But what does it mean?
Bleakness, saving, rationing... in Britain during and after the second world war there was a sweet ration - all the way to 1953, believe it or not. There was a limit to the number of buttons a piece of clothing could have.
Of course, this was all implemented by the government, and now there is a lot more free market capitalism in play. While here in Canada there is a lot of country-patriotism, it feels like the amount of belief people have in the political class is about as limited as in the UK.
As far as I am aware, nothing is truly rationed. Milk is just over a dollar per litre (more like $2.50 if you buy organic, but that's another story); petrol is only slightly more than that - currently $1.20 or there abouts.
Minimum wage is about $11, and about £6 in the UK. I can buy enough food for a week for 3 hours work, say. Cabbage, yes; pasta on special, or 5kg potatoes for $3.
Austerity? One less flat screen TV? We don't know the meaning of the word.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
Staying Put
What's the point of a blog with no posts?
Well... plenty is going on. I got my interim work permit, I got a folding bike, and all sorts of other things.
Folding bike: awesome. It's the same as one I had in the UK, a Dahon Speed D7. Nippy, compact, generally wonderful.
Work permit: also awesome except it does not allow me to leave and come back to Canada. Hmm. Well, whatever - hopefully I'll be a Permanent Resident before 2013!! And it stops me flying anywhere - I'm perfectly happy about that.
We've decided to stay put in our little flat for another year. It's small, but cheap, and "enough" - we can't reduce to anything smaller, but a bit more room would be nice. So I'm bumping along at minimum in terms of physical space - we have no garden, one bedroom, living room which is mostly office, and a kitchen. That's all!
I'm getting more used to Ottawa. Where we are - Hintonburg/Mechanicsville, a couple of km from Parliament, is actually pretty nice. I'm beginning to think I could be happy living in a house (with a garden!) here long term. We have everything we need close by.
Work is currently uninspiring, but I'm going freelance/contract in a week so that will hopefully give me more time to be outside, and so on. It's currently still *very* busy despite the fact it was supposed to ease off come the start.. middle.. end of October. But at least the time goes quickly!
I'm still fascinated by what's happening in the EU and Eurozone. And by what may or may not happen in Canada. But it seems quite far away now. I'm warm, cozy, and generally content - of drained by work and so not particularly sociable.
Come the 21st of December (shortest day), Ottawa will still get 8 hours and 43 minutes of daylight.
London (UK) will get 7 hours and 50 minutes.
Edinburgh (UK) will get 6 hours and 57 minutes.
And Reykjavik (Iceland) will get only 4 hours and 7 minutes!
Well... plenty is going on. I got my interim work permit, I got a folding bike, and all sorts of other things.
Folding bike: awesome. It's the same as one I had in the UK, a Dahon Speed D7. Nippy, compact, generally wonderful.
Work permit: also awesome except it does not allow me to leave and come back to Canada. Hmm. Well, whatever - hopefully I'll be a Permanent Resident before 2013!! And it stops me flying anywhere - I'm perfectly happy about that.
We've decided to stay put in our little flat for another year. It's small, but cheap, and "enough" - we can't reduce to anything smaller, but a bit more room would be nice. So I'm bumping along at minimum in terms of physical space - we have no garden, one bedroom, living room which is mostly office, and a kitchen. That's all!
I'm getting more used to Ottawa. Where we are - Hintonburg/Mechanicsville, a couple of km from Parliament, is actually pretty nice. I'm beginning to think I could be happy living in a house (with a garden!) here long term. We have everything we need close by.
Work is currently uninspiring, but I'm going freelance/contract in a week so that will hopefully give me more time to be outside, and so on. It's currently still *very* busy despite the fact it was supposed to ease off come the start.. middle.. end of October. But at least the time goes quickly!
I'm still fascinated by what's happening in the EU and Eurozone. And by what may or may not happen in Canada. But it seems quite far away now. I'm warm, cozy, and generally content - of drained by work and so not particularly sociable.
Come the 21st of December (shortest day), Ottawa will still get 8 hours and 43 minutes of daylight.
London (UK) will get 7 hours and 50 minutes.
Edinburgh (UK) will get 6 hours and 57 minutes.
And Reykjavik (Iceland) will get only 4 hours and 7 minutes!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Rant on tax
About two weeks ago I received a cheque for £x in the post - a tax refund from HM Revenue and Customs. Hurrah!
Today I got a letter telling me I'd underpaid by £2x, and that is ignoring the £x refund I just got. So if it's right I owe £3x. Plus they want roughly £x at the same time (end of Jan 2012) in advance for this current tax year, ending April 2012.
I mean... what?
I can understand the refund - it's specifically on my "Pay as you Earn" income, and I did overpay because I didn't work a full year.. and my monthly tax was as if I did.
But the new letter makes no sense. It's on my "self assessment" tax return but it completely ignores the fact most of my income is PAYE (ie, I'm already paying it in advance!), and my personal allowance.
I know. I just need to call them in the morning. But getting this kind of thing in the post is so stressful. I'm far from stupid but "oh yes, you owe us a whole month's salary, thanks" is... ugh.
And.. I know the amount of money we have influences what things cost. But losing 1/3 of every pay cheque.. man. Then 20% VAT on top (well, 13% here in Canada.. but then there's the 2% exchange fee and the GBP isn't doing so well lately...).
Ach well. I'm warm, clothed, fed, etc.
End rant. Time for bed!
Today I got a letter telling me I'd underpaid by £2x, and that is ignoring the £x refund I just got. So if it's right I owe £3x. Plus they want roughly £x at the same time (end of Jan 2012) in advance for this current tax year, ending April 2012.
I mean... what?
I can understand the refund - it's specifically on my "Pay as you Earn" income, and I did overpay because I didn't work a full year.. and my monthly tax was as if I did.
But the new letter makes no sense. It's on my "self assessment" tax return but it completely ignores the fact most of my income is PAYE (ie, I'm already paying it in advance!), and my personal allowance.
I know. I just need to call them in the morning. But getting this kind of thing in the post is so stressful. I'm far from stupid but "oh yes, you owe us a whole month's salary, thanks" is... ugh.
And.. I know the amount of money we have influences what things cost. But losing 1/3 of every pay cheque.. man. Then 20% VAT on top (well, 13% here in Canada.. but then there's the 2% exchange fee and the GBP isn't doing so well lately...).
Ach well. I'm warm, clothed, fed, etc.
End rant. Time for bed!
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Cost of Pensions
I am in trouble with some of my public sector employed friends after suggesting rather angrily that the current talk of massive strikes in the UK because of pension plan changes proposed by the government are unwise.
I think my exact words included "ignorant" and "selfish" and so might have caused some upset..
But marching blindly on, I've been thinking about this for a little bit, and want to put down my underlying reasons and philosophy on this.
1. Everyone who has worked gets state pension. If you have worked enough years (paying National Insurance), you'll get £140-ish per week, from (for my generation) the age of 68. I hear a lot about poverty. I understand that people who have little can become trapped easily in a place where they cannot afford to get out of. However, I feel that I could live on £140 a week. Not well, not luxuriously, but I could live.
2. Systems should be fair. I understand why the Police, for example, retire early. There is no reason to think someone aged 55 would not find other employment when leaving the forces, however. If people in the private sector either have to make provision for their own retirement or be poor, there is no reason the public sector shouldn't mostly play by the same rules - or vice versa.
3. If I stick £100 a month away for the next 35 years I'll get a pension of roughly £3500 a year. That's a guesstimate. Add that to the £7000 state pension and, well, I'm doing alright!
4. Defined benefits vs defined contributions. Basically, knowing or not knowing how much you're going to get out at the end. I'm not sure how this will currently work but my understanding is that money in risky investments (stocks & shares) should be moved into safer ones as retirement approaches - so, a percentage converted every year, 5-10 years before retirement.
5. It is easy to be wealthy when you retire, if you just put money away, each month. Set up an ISA, a direct debit, and leave it alone. Start now, the sooner the better. I did it when I was 22 or so, but it fell by the wayside when I bought a house, then went travelling, moved to Canada... Don't let it. Find a way to fund your monthly retirement fund no matter where you are and what you're doing.
6. Having (or having the expectation of) something and then having it taken away is hard. But for people 15-25+ years from retirement there is plenty of time to compensate.
7. Striking is likely to annoy more people than do good. Enough private sector people, with worse pension schemes by far, are being squeezed so that they will have little sympathy with their public sector counterparts.
8. Life isn't fair.
9. If public sector workers are going through pension reform they should be given the option of self-directing all of their pension investments, rather than it being part of the large pot - that's only fair.
I think my exact words included "ignorant" and "selfish" and so might have caused some upset..
But marching blindly on, I've been thinking about this for a little bit, and want to put down my underlying reasons and philosophy on this.
1. Everyone who has worked gets state pension. If you have worked enough years (paying National Insurance), you'll get £140-ish per week, from (for my generation) the age of 68. I hear a lot about poverty. I understand that people who have little can become trapped easily in a place where they cannot afford to get out of. However, I feel that I could live on £140 a week. Not well, not luxuriously, but I could live.
2. Systems should be fair. I understand why the Police, for example, retire early. There is no reason to think someone aged 55 would not find other employment when leaving the forces, however. If people in the private sector either have to make provision for their own retirement or be poor, there is no reason the public sector shouldn't mostly play by the same rules - or vice versa.
3. If I stick £100 a month away for the next 35 years I'll get a pension of roughly £3500 a year. That's a guesstimate. Add that to the £7000 state pension and, well, I'm doing alright!
4. Defined benefits vs defined contributions. Basically, knowing or not knowing how much you're going to get out at the end. I'm not sure how this will currently work but my understanding is that money in risky investments (stocks & shares) should be moved into safer ones as retirement approaches - so, a percentage converted every year, 5-10 years before retirement.
5. It is easy to be wealthy when you retire, if you just put money away, each month. Set up an ISA, a direct debit, and leave it alone. Start now, the sooner the better. I did it when I was 22 or so, but it fell by the wayside when I bought a house, then went travelling, moved to Canada... Don't let it. Find a way to fund your monthly retirement fund no matter where you are and what you're doing.
6. Having (or having the expectation of) something and then having it taken away is hard. But for people 15-25+ years from retirement there is plenty of time to compensate.
7. Striking is likely to annoy more people than do good. Enough private sector people, with worse pension schemes by far, are being squeezed so that they will have little sympathy with their public sector counterparts.
8. Life isn't fair.
9. If public sector workers are going through pension reform they should be given the option of self-directing all of their pension investments, rather than it being part of the large pot - that's only fair.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Living in a box
My living arrangements here in the UK are simple. I'm living in a box.
Going by self-length measurements, it measures about 18' by 16'. There is a cut out for the bathroom, probably reducing the size of the box by 4' by 6'. The bathroom extends past the edge of the box in one dimension, so it's probably 6' square in total.
In this 300 square foot area (including the bathroom), I have:
A double bed
A single bed
A small kitchen with sink, tabletop oven/two-hob cooker, half-height fridge freezer, and assorted cooking equipment
A wardrobe
A small circular table
An armchair and sofa (2 person)
A chest of drawers with small flatscreen TV
A desk and chair, from whence I am typing this
A toilet, sink and shower in the bathroom.
That's it. Oh, no - I also have my borrowed bicycle, and one of my wife's hairclips - all I have left to remember her by (sniff).
This feels *spacious*. I am content.
Going by self-length measurements, it measures about 18' by 16'. There is a cut out for the bathroom, probably reducing the size of the box by 4' by 6'. The bathroom extends past the edge of the box in one dimension, so it's probably 6' square in total.
In this 300 square foot area (including the bathroom), I have:
A double bed
A single bed
A small kitchen with sink, tabletop oven/two-hob cooker, half-height fridge freezer, and assorted cooking equipment
A wardrobe
A small circular table
An armchair and sofa (2 person)
A chest of drawers with small flatscreen TV
A desk and chair, from whence I am typing this
A toilet, sink and shower in the bathroom.
That's it. Oh, no - I also have my borrowed bicycle, and one of my wife's hairclips - all I have left to remember her by (sniff).
This feels *spacious*. I am content.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Travelling
So I'm back "home" - in the UK, at least. Home seems a concept more than anything real.
After spending two weeks with my mum in France I'm staying in a guesthouse close to work.
It's refreshing in a way - and it just made me realise how much stuff I *don't* need.
I have with me one suitcase and one backpack. Tbe former contained clothes, a suit, shoes, shirts for work, and a toilet bag; the backpack, my laptop, and my PSP. What else does one need?
Well. The guesthouse provides a cooker, cutlery, and so on. I'm borrowing a bike from a friend, and - seeing as my main reason for being here is work - work is providing me with any equipment I need.
What am I missing? Well, apart from my wife, who left for "home" today... not much. A better desk and chair; my desktop PC and monitor (which are significantly faster than this laptop). Books? Sure, but I've pretty much read the books I still own after the move-purge sessions that went on when leaving the UK.
In fact, I think I'll be having another purge when I get back.
It's not like I have *loads* of stuff (though my wife would disagree...), but that that I don't use regularly is a cost and not a benefit. And the fact I don't miss it at all is telling.
After spending two weeks with my mum in France I'm staying in a guesthouse close to work.
It's refreshing in a way - and it just made me realise how much stuff I *don't* need.
I have with me one suitcase and one backpack. Tbe former contained clothes, a suit, shoes, shirts for work, and a toilet bag; the backpack, my laptop, and my PSP. What else does one need?
Well. The guesthouse provides a cooker, cutlery, and so on. I'm borrowing a bike from a friend, and - seeing as my main reason for being here is work - work is providing me with any equipment I need.
What am I missing? Well, apart from my wife, who left for "home" today... not much. A better desk and chair; my desktop PC and monitor (which are significantly faster than this laptop). Books? Sure, but I've pretty much read the books I still own after the move-purge sessions that went on when leaving the UK.
In fact, I think I'll be having another purge when I get back.
It's not like I have *loads* of stuff (though my wife would disagree...), but that that I don't use regularly is a cost and not a benefit. And the fact I don't miss it at all is telling.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Stars
The stars howled in the void. We don't think of stars howling - but what do we know?
How often have you yearned to be hugged? Don't you think the stars feel the same way? Only a few million years ago they were close to their family, when the universe was young - but then they were hurled away, destined to go further and further from their brothers and sisters.
Only the gravitational death of a black hole brings them together again - but who wants to be that close.
How often have you yearned to be hugged? Don't you think the stars feel the same way? Only a few million years ago they were close to their family, when the universe was young - but then they were hurled away, destined to go further and further from their brothers and sisters.
Only the gravitational death of a black hole brings them together again - but who wants to be that close.
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